Yangtze Campaign
The Yangtze Campaign was a U.S.-lead military action against the China in the Sino-American War. The goal was to take control of the entire Yangtze river and seize control over central China. The invasion was a success and much of southern and central China was under American control and the with Beijng in its sights, the Americans were ready to build a democratic China, however the Great War had made the creation of a Democracy in China impossible. History Shanghai Offensive As the Chinese weakened in Alaska, the U.S. was faced with a huge game changer. President Samuel Walker was briefed by Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Henry Burth about the weakening of defenses in Alaska, and how the U.S. could weaken the Chinese strength. The Yangtze River, being a frequently crossed river from China's southeastern and southern territories; was the best target. After the brief meeting between James Anderson and Henry Burth: the U.S. military invaded China in a daring assault in 2074. On April 11, 2074: the U.S. Marine Corps spearheaded an attack on Hangzhou Bay to set up a beachhead. Airborne units landed behind the Chinese defensive lines to secure the defenses that overlooked the waybay, while other forces lead by T-45d power armor units led the assault further inland. Minimal casualties occurred as the powered armored units plowed through PLA defenses. The goal of the operation was simple; cut into the heart of China and cut off supply lines from its southern territory. The major priority of the attack was to capture the heavily fortified city of Shanghai, in order to gain control of the Yangtze River Delta. This would mean that the 2nd Armored Division, the 28th Armored Brigade, 27th Armored and the 8th Infantry Brigade, 9th Infantry Division would have to first capture the city of Hangzhou, a more of a protection buffer by 2074 than an historical icon to old China, in order to get easy access to Shanghai. When the Divisions tried to make a frontal assault on the city, they met heavy resistance from the PLA soldiers that occupied the city. U.S. Artillery began to pound the cities of Hangzhou and Shanghai to offer U.S. soldiers better cover, and the Chinese PLA did likewise to protect their own soldiers. About a week into the campaign, the U.S. army began to experience many problems on the field. The T-45d units, which were already heavy and clunky enough, began to get stuck in the rice patties as they went walked through them; making them easy targets for the Chinese heavy assault soldiers to take out. The U.S. Military also failed to realize that a huge defense garrison was also located in Shanghai due to poor reconnaissance, which soon began to reinforce the city of Hangzhou. The Yangtze Campaign quickly turned into a wasteful and bloody campaign by June 14, 2074, with both sides inflicting casualties on each other. The U.S. was so desperate to quickly end the campaign that the 27th Armored Division tried a desperate attempt to capture the city of Quzhou to the southwest, which might have weakened the Hangzhou garrisons reinforcements to a point that the 7th Infantry and 2nd Armored could have succeeded. But as the 27th tried to enter the city, a division of PLA artillery began to fire on them with their artillery. In April 2074, the exhausted divisions were reinforced by 13th and 6th Armored Divisions, as well as 8th and 9th Infantry Divisions. The U.S. Army then began to make progress in the city of Hanzhou as well as in the city of Quzhou. But the Chinese had more reinforcements, and quickly the battle turned into another stalemate. Months after months, the counterattack after counterattack by the Chinese weakened the moral of the PLA. The Americans, on the other hand, had the advanced technologies that helped minimize the loss of life of their side. Even the Americans had prepared for the Yellow fever-carrying mosquitoes by bringing along insect repellant and giving vaccinations to their soldiers; what the Chinese had failed to do. The Yangtze Campaign immediately began to change around 2076, when T-51b Powered Infantry Armor was introduced to the Mechanized Divisions. U.S. forces were finally able to plow through the town of Hanzhou after four years of fierce fighting, capturing it in a matter of days. As more battalions began to reinforce the divisions, the U.S. Army began to head for the city of Shanghai. Meanwhile, the 3nd Battalion, 2nd Marines went towards the city of Nanjing to secure a defensive line so that main force could have For days, the U.S. Military battled long and hard against the defending Chinese forces in Shanghai, fighting in the crowded corridors and streets of the city. The PLA General in the region, General He, asked the Communist Politburo in Beijing for more soldiers and supplies; which, to the dismay of General He, did not answer. On June 11, 2076; General He and his remaining men surrendered to the U.S. soldiers under command of General Alfred Wheeles. By August 2, U.S. Powered Armor and Infantry divisions were marching through the streets of Shanghai, overjoyed over the victory over the People's Republic of China. Defense of Nanjing On the early morning of May 31st, 2076, Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines entered the quiet Nanjing to secure a defensive point againist a know Chinese counterattack heading for the city of Shanghai. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Crosatto, a seasoned veteran from the war in Alaska, began to set up defensive lines along the Yangtze river to combat the thousands of men that were planning to come across the bridges. The bridges at Nanjing were the closest the Chinese army could get to in time for the planned counter-attack on the American forces in Shanghai, as all other bridges near Shanghai had been bombed out by Airforce bombers. At 10:15 A.M.: a U.S. Marine stationed near the bridge said that he had caught sight of the enemy from his viewpoint in a Department store. The 3rd Battalion opened fire on the advancing Chinese soldiers and armor, and thus the Defense of Nanjing had begun. From 10:16 A.M. to about 1:11 P.M., the 3rd Battalion and the Chinese forces battered each other with small arms and heavy weapons fire, the Marines using their M45 DAPW's to take out Chinese tanks as they tried to cross the main bridge. The 3rd Battalion experienced casualities between this time, as the Chinese forces began to overwhelm the Battalion. From 1:11 to 3:00 P.M., the Chinese forces began crossing the bridge, forcing Lt. Col. Mark Crosatto to order a retreat further into the city. 3:30 to 5:00 P.M. American forces set up barricades and mines through out the roads leading to the city, heavy fighting continues, but Chinese advance begins to slow. 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. Chinese bogged down in city, being pounded by American artillery and air strikes. PLA orders convoys to try to re-group with pinned down troops. Convoys subsequently stopped in their tracks by troops with LRFFM (Long.Range.Fire.and.Forget.Missile) units. Certain buildings targeted for demolition by U.S. Marines in order to barricade certain roads through the city. 6:30 to 9:00 P.M. Tracers fly through the air constantly as night begins to fall. With 3 armored tank collems stopped and pinned down, and no less than 3,000 PLA troops trapped in the ruins of the city, the Chinese realize they are in a tough spot. Chinese commanders order 6 squadrons of Xian-85 fighters to try to re-establish PLAAF air superiority. These squadrons would be supported by another 8 squadrons of PLA Navy J-33 fighters. This would prove usless however, as the Chinese fighters expirenced apauling losses within seconds of entering American airspace. Not a single Chinese fighter made it within 100 miles of their objective. 9:30 to 11:00 P.M. PLA reinforced with paratroopers; paratroopers land in all the wrong spots, forcing them to try to re-group with one another. Most squads of paratroopers with killed by patroling American tank forces. PLA commanders realize there is no hope for victory, and order troopes to try to hold out until morning. 11:00 P.M. to 8:00 A.M. U.S. artillery and air-stikes continue throught the night inflicting massive casualties on the PLA. Come sun rise the PLA are ordered to surrender, however all re-fused to do so. Without even a second thought, U.S. artillery rained down biological and chemical rounds into the Chinese lines, followed by Napalm bombings to sterilize the areas around the PLA. By 8:04 A.M. all PLA troops lie dead or dieing, with no second thought from their commanders or American troops. Aftermath The battled-weary Americans who had fought in the campaign were not left off the hook as the U.S. military pushed inward into China, trying like the other U.S. military groups to get to Beijing first. Meanwhile, in the United States; the citizens of the Southwest Commonwealth built a monument dedicating the hundreds of servicemen who died in the Yangtze Campaign, the Yangtze Memorial. The memorial only held less than a hundred names, but it also held the spiritual memory of those who lost their lives during the campaign. It received much praise from around the United States until January 10, 2077; when Anchorage was finally, totally, liberated by U.S. forces. During the campaign, American troops were able to land and liberate the city-state of Hong Kong and had dit under American rule until the Great War. Category:Events Category:Battles